Bobby Pierce Elder

Bobby Pierce Elder passed away on Sunday October 10, 2021 at the age of 89. Bob was born on July 19, 1932 in Sunnyside, Georgia, the son of Walter Pierce Elder and Lois Barron Elder. He grew up in Macon, where he met Faye Anderson in 1947. Bob and Faye were wed on June 27, 1954, and were happily married for 67 years, raising two children and heading a family that grew to include two granddaughters and three great-grandchildren.

Bob graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While at Tech, Bob lettered in Gymnastics and was a Cheerleader for the football team. After military service in peacekeeping in 1955 and 1956 in Anchorage, Alaska, Bob and Faye returned to the southeast, where he worked for Southern Bell and then AT&T in Atlanta until 1988. Upon retirement from the telephone company, he worked independently giving seminars on ethics to a variety of businesses throughout the state of Georgia for many years.

Starting in 1967, Bob taught the Hope Class each Sunday at Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Bob taught the Old and New Testament as an amiable Professor would teach History. As the membership of the Hope Class rapidly expanded, actual Professors from Emory, Georgia State, and Georgia Tech were drawn to the lively intellectual discussions that emerged every Sunday from Bob’s well-researched presentations on such enduring subjects as the travels and teachings of Paul. Bob remained the faithful and beloved teacher of the Hope Class for 45 years until 2012, and Bob and Faye cherished their great friendships with everyone in the class.

Especially important was the friendship of Charlie and Betsy Fiveash, who met Bob and Faye through the Hope Class and who continued to meet Bob and Faye for lunch on Sundays throughout the last decade after Bob retired from teaching.

Bob is survived by his wife Faye, his son Robert, his daughter Barbara and her husband Jim, his granddaughter Paige and her husband Tommy as well as their son James and daughter Anderson, and his granddaughter Catherine and her husband Daniel as well as their son Oliver.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the American Diabetes Association and Oak Grove United Methodist Church.